Applauding the FBI for quickly taking control of the investigation into the attack on New Year revelers in New Orleans that left at least 15 dead, a former U.S. attorney suggested the event should heighten Senate scrutiny of Donald Trump's pick to replace Director Christopher Wray.
In a column for MSNBC, legal expert and contributor Barbara McQuade explained the complexities for proceeding with a domestic terrorism investigation and pointed out that Trump loyalist Kash Patel is severely lacking in the type of expertise needed to proceed on a moment's notice.
After writing, "The FBI’s quick decision Wednesday to investigate the New Orleans vehicle ramming on Bourbon Street as a terrorist attack demonstrates the importance of an FBI director with knowledge, experience and judgment," McQuade asserted, "Designating an investigation as a terrorism probe is more than a symbolic act. It brings with it legal authorities that are urgently needed in this kind of investigation as law enforcement searches for potential accomplices and assesses any ongoing danger to the public."
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Having written that, she added, "... does Patel, who served a short stint as a trial lawyer in the Justice Department’s National Security Division, have the experience to understand that nuance and make these types of calls? It's a fair question with serious national security implications."
Pointing out, "launching a terrorism investigation provides a basis for what is known under the Attorney General Guidelines for Domestic Operations as an 'enterprise investigation,'" she claimed Patel is nowhere up to speed on how the process works.
"All of these tools will help the FBI ascertain whether [New Orleans assailant] Shamsud-Din Jabbar had any accomplices who might pose an ongoing threat to public safety — and apprehend them if necessary. And as senators consider whether to confirm Patel in the coming weeks, this case should reinforce the high stakes of the job he wishes to take on," she advised.
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